Spurs v. Jazz v. national media weasels

Is there anything worse than a desperate television network and passive-aggressive sportscasters?

I expect the media and fans in the cities of our vanquished foes to be bitter. They lost. They’re losers. It sucks to be them.

But the national media has taken to hating the Spurs, normally the darlings of the NBA, because they’re still bent about the league suspending two key Phoenix Suns players before Game 5 of that series. And ABC is looking at another Detroit – SA Finals.

The network hates solid team defense as much as it hates mid-market teams in the Finals.

ABC: A bad network for a good reason

This is not directed at the play-by-play crew of Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Mike Breen, who are charged with calling the game accurately and fairly. They do that.

The pre-game show, however, is a desperate attempt to stir up interest in a series that the network feels isn’t going to get any. That’s not our fault.

The league requires that the NBA champ win games. It doesn’t give style points.

If ABC wants Boston, Chicago, LA or Chicago in the NBA Finals every year, those dumbasses should consider buying several teams, jacking up their payrolls and cooking the league’s standings so they get the marquee match-ups they crave.

Until then, don’t hate if you pinheads can’t relate to mid- and small-market teams that have good ownership and smart team executives.

Instead of blasting NBA Commissioner David Stern and moving on, talking bald heads such as Charles Barkley of TNT and Michael Wilbon of ABC/ESPN go out of their way to pick the Jazz, even though the Jazz are a clearly outclassed team. The Jazz might win a game or two, but even if tradition holds and each team holds court, we prevail.

Then, after last night’s game, Wilbon appeared to strain as he spat out faint praise for the beatdown the Spurs put on the Jazz. It’s as if he was being forced at gunpoint to emcee the Al-Qaeda Spring Awards banquet.

He’s not the only guy guilty of this, but he’s the most visible since he’s on the national telecast.

Wilbon’s a great writer and a hoot on PTI. It’s clear that he’s just doing this under orders from the clown shoes at ABC, who are desperate to juice their ratings.

Well…knock it off.

Wilbon and people of his ilk need to get past the league’s decision in the Suns series and move on.

Or don’t.

We’ll win either way.

The line for Game 3 anxiety forms here

Now that the Spurs have taken care of business here, what do they need to do in order to finally win a game in SLC?

I didn’t go to Game 2 last night, but I don’t sense that respecting The Jinx had anything to do with it. The last time Utah won in San Antonio, we were more concerned with the Y2K non-event than anything else. It’s likely the Jazz jinx would have superseded The Jinx, but I wasn’t ready to bet my life on it.

The crowd last night was better, attendees say, but not perfect. It was clearly louder and more into it than Game 1.

Because fans at the AT&T were more focused, a game that was a clone of Game 1 — even down to the Spurs piling up a big lead, making it close and then winning by single digits — didn’t seem as bad because the crowd was better. It’s wasn’t as good as the Phoenix or Denver crowds, I’m told, but at least they didn’t head for the exits until 3:00 in the 4th.

Now the real problem faces us. The Spurs are winless there in the play-offs and winless there this year in the regular season.

How do they break through? Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions for plays to run for Beno Udrih?